A bill that would raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 squeaked out of committee Thursday, along with a slate of other “workplace fairness” bills promoted by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.
The Labor and Public Employees Committee approved legislation that would raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2021, create the nation’s first paid sick leave law, update existing anti-harassment requirements and elevate economic security for workers, women and families across the state.
The legislation, pledged during Malloy’s final State of the State address, would still need approval from the House and Senate, in addition to the governor’s signature before they could become law.
Bills fostering equal pay and anti-sexual harassment passed the committee unanimously, however, legislation supporting minimum wage increases and paid family and medical leave were split on party lines, with Republicans in opposition.
Under House Bill 5388, the minimum wage would increase from $10.10 to $15 over the next three years, and continue increasing with the rate of inflation. The legislation was narrowly passed by Democrats on a 7-6 party line vote.
Malloy, who proposed a number of the bills to the legislature earlier this year, said that fairness for all workers is prudent, especially in the wake of national conversations surrounding inequity in the workplace.
Malloy has said women in Connecticut are paid on average 82 cents for every $1 a man earns, with a wider gap for women of color.
“Today, too many people are falling behind financially, even as they work harder and harder,” Malloy said. “Too many historically marginalized groups are still subject to harassment, oppression, and unequal treatment in the workplace.
The Connecticut Business & Industry Association released its testimony against the minimum wage hike earlier this month, arguing that Connecticut is already one of the costliest places to run a business.
CBIA lobbyist Eric Gjede said Connecticut’s high business costs have contributed to state’s “slow recovery from the recession,” having recovered only 76 percent of the jobs lost during that period.
Bills supporting paid family and medical leave would provide up to 12 weeks of paid leave to qualifying employees, at 100 percent salary up to a cap of $1,000 per week. That package also inched forward with a vote of 7-6, with Democrats in favor.
Other bills backing equal pay, which passed unanimously, would prohibit employers from inquiring about a prospective employee’s previous wage, preventing that employee from inquiring about another employee’s salary, and requiring employees to sign a waiver denying their right to disclose wages.
